From Menschen to Mezuzahs

Every Wednesday in December, 6-7 p.m., free with $10 admission, Rosenbach Museum & Library, 2008-2010 Delancey Place, 215-732-1600, rosenbach.org.

by Daniella Wexler

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Published: Dec 8, 2010

[ walking tour ]

Whether you're lighting menorahs or decking the halls, set aside one day this month to learn about Jewish history. Having recently acquired portraits of the Gratz family, prominent fixtures of the 19th-century Philadelphia Jewish community, the Rosenbach Museum is hosting weekly tours that highlight Jewish historical items in their collection — painted by artists like Thomas Sully, Gilbert Stuart and George Peter Alexander Healy. "Up until we acquired [them] last month, the portraits of Rebecca Gratz and her brother Joseph had been in private hands and nobody had seen them for decades," says Susan Sklaroff, one of the leading docents for the tour. Another gem of the stroll is a Hebrew book written by Judah Monis, the United States' first Hebrew teacher, who taught at Harvard College in the 1700s.

Every Wednesday in December, 6-7 p.m., free with $10 admission, Rosenbach Museum & Library, 2008-2010 Delancey Place, 215-732-1600, rosenbach.org.

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